1963 Proof Doubled Die Obverse WDDO-065

Description

The proliferation of doubled die obverse varieties for the 1963 proof Lincoln cent reflects both the scale of die production at the Philadelphia Mint and the forensic thoroughness of modern variety attribution, and WDDO-065 stands as evidence of both phenomena. Manufacturing proof dies required the same multi-impression hubbing process used for business-strike dies — pressing the working hub repeatedly into a softened die blank under hydraulic force to sink the full design to proper depth — followed by the specialized finishing steps of chrome plating, device frosting, and field polishing that defined proof die preparation. Any misalignment between hub impressions during the initial hubbing stage embedded a secondary design image in the die steel that no amount of subsequent finishing could erase. Once placed in service on the proof press, the doubled die struck coins at elevated pressure on polished planchets, imprinting both the primary design and its ghost companion onto every cent produced during the die's approximately 3,000-impression service life. The 3,075,645 proof Lincoln cents produced in 1963 were distributed through proof sets that have since been broken apart, examined, and in many cases submitted for third-party grading, creating a diffuse but searchable population from which new varieties continue to emerge. WDDO-065 carries the doubled obverse created by one specific hubbing event and should be identified through careful comparison with published reference images under magnification. The coin was struck on a 95% copper and 5% tin-zinc planchet weighing 3.11 grams, bearing Victor David Brenner's Abraham Lincoln portrait.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Wexler Team

External References